Cross Cultural Music Middle Eastern Music with special guest artist Ali Paris
Qadim is a word found in both Arabic and Hebrew meaning ‘ancient’ as well as ‘that which will come.’ The ensemble’s repertoire includes Arabic, Jewish, Turkish Sufi, Hebrew-Yemenite, Armenian, Greek, Ladino and Moroccan music, celebrating the common musical and spiritual heritage of the region’s cultures, while honoring the great diversity found within them.
Acclaimed for their passionate performances, The Qadim Ensemble is comprised of accomplished and acclaimed musicians. The San Francisco based band has attracted a growing global audience who are responding to their authentic musicianship and timely message of peace and cross-cultural appreciation.
Their most recent CD, Eastern Wind, received rave reviews world wide, reaching #7 on Billboard’s World Music charts.
“Truly world music, some of the most open, human music you’ll hear . . . Essential”
— East Bay Express
“Beautifully presented, the players bring superb musicianship and palpable enthusiasm to each performance. Eliyahu’s ney flute along with Rachel’s succulent vocals are stars . . . creating a sense of human communication with the divine.”
— All Things Considered, NPR
“Listeners are deeply moved”
— Jewish Telegraph, London
“Visionary . . . achingly beautiful . . .”
— San Francisco Chronicle
Eliyahu Sills
Eliyahu studied for over ten years with the Hindaustani bansuri flute master G.S.Sachdev, one of the worlds most highly esteemed musicians in that ancient tradition. In Istanbul, Turkey, he studied with Neyzen Omer Erdogdular and Neyzen Ahmet Kaya, in Morocco with Akdii Abdelsalaam, and in Israel with Itamar Shachar.
Rachel Valfer
Rachel Valfer is a passionate singer and oud (Arabic lute) player who brings depth of feeling to every song. She studied Maqam and Persian dastgah modal systems in Israel and Palestine for six years at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, and sings with several ensembles in the Bay Area. Gifted in the art of language, Rachel sings in Hebrew, Arabic, Farsi, Greek, Turkish, Ladino, and Armenian.
Dan Cantrell
Dan Cantrell is an award winning composer known for his innovative and evocative film and theatre scoring approach, as well as his virtuosic playing abilities on the accordion, piano and musical saw. He holds a BFA degree from CalArts where he majored in Composition and Piano performance. Dan is a self taught master of the accordion, excelling at Balkan, Romani, Eastern European, and Klezmer styles. In recent years, Dan has performed and recorded with Tom Waits, Joanna Newsom, Beats Antique, Bono, Danny Elfman, members of the Klezmatics and Fishbone.
Miriam Peretz
Miriam Peretz is an internationally celebrated dance performer, choreographer and teacher. Her unique style draws heavily on Central Asian dance, devotional whirling practices, and sacred dance rituals from around the world. Miriam is also a percussionist specializing in Middle Eastern and Persian music. She studied percussion for two years at the Oriental Music Academy in Jerusalem as well as with master percussionist, Pezhham Akhavass in the U.S.
Faisal Zedan
Syrian-born Faisal Zedan was divinely inspired to play Arabic percussion at the age of 15. He received instruction from a distant relative, the only drummer in his village of Oum Dbaid. Since moving to the United States, he has played with many of the greatest Arabic musicians, such as Ali Jihad Racy, Julien Jâlal Eddine Weiss, and the band Kanzaman.
